The Beat Of My Own Drum
by Witchy Nike
Summary: Some say love and adventure fall hand in hand that you're going to run into both during your life. My mother moved our family across the seas to the New World hoping to start over. The only problem are the rules and greed in this town and the fact that exploring and curiosity are forbidden. There's absolutely NO contact with the savages a rule that I find is easier broken. AU OC/OC


**Chapter One**

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This land was beautiful. It most certainly was different from England, but that was just something I was to get used to, according to mum. It was something we all were to get used to. We were here to begin a new life, one without father or his memory. Sometimes I couldn't help but think this journey was more for mum to distance herself from his memory…his passing really hadn't been too long ago, and it was still painful.

"I want to see an Indian!" my little brother was saying excitedly, jumping up and down as he clung to the ship, the _Susan Constant_'s, railing, peering at the rapidly approaching docks on the outskirts of the small town. _On the outskirts of _our _small town,_ I reminded myself as I smiled down at Josef.

"You most certainly do _not_!" my older sister, who was eighteen, said, her voice rising some. "Tell him, Will! Those savages are _no_ good." I knew she never did it on purpose, but Alice always tended to sound bossy and controlling every time she opened her mouth.

Will, the eldest child in our family at nineteen years old, leaned against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest, tossing a level stare at Alice before turning it on Josef. "Alice is right, Jo," he said in his deep, gravelly voice, "but they aren't anything to worry about. However…not for a big terror like you. You could have them all running the other way with just one look from those crazy blue eyes."

Josef's whole face lit up at the idea, and he started hopping up and down even faster. "I'm going to be a cowboy! I'm going to be a hero! I'm going to save everyone from the savagees!" It was difficult, but we all managed to keep our humor at his mistaken pronunciation hidden. He was only seven years old, and that combined with his excitement very well explained his…issues.

"Savages, Josef, savages," our mum said, appearing behind Alice. "Just because we are in this new, uncivilized land does not mean we are going to become uncivilized as well. We speak in the right way and no other."

"Ah mum he's just excited," I said, putting my arm around his little shoulders.

"As we all are, Taylor," she agreed, her mouth lifting some at the edges. "There still is no reason to forget our manners or proper English."

"I want to climb a tree!" Josef exclaimed. "I want to swim in the ocean! I want to ride a horse! I want to…" He went on and on about all the things he wanted to do in our new homeland, things he had to do all at once. We listened to him all the way to the dock, and it was only when we were unloading off the ship did he become silenced, looking around him in awe. One really could not blame him; there was so much to see, it was a lot to take in.

"Watch your step, miss!" one of the crew members said, offering me a hand as I jumped onto the dock.

"Thank you." I gave him a cheery smile and turned to hold out my arms for Josef to jump into.

"Don't you dare jump off this—" my mum started to say, but she was too late as Josef flung himself off the deck and landed in my arms, almost knocking me off my feet. He wasn't a large kid, but I was little for my age. In fact, Josef was already more than halfway to catching up to my height. The sad part of that was I was two months away from turning seventeen.

"Good God," I said as I placed Josef on his feet, staring at the tall, long expanse of trees in front of me. They had seemed big from sea, but now they were almost unreal.

"Amazing, isn't it?" a friendly voice asked from behind me, and when I glanced over my shoulder I saw the captain of the ship, John Smith, whose eyes were just as bright as his smile. "Just think of the adventure that could be waiting for you in this new world."

"Adventures!" Josef shouted excitedly, to which the Captain looked down and ruffled his hair, grinning.

"You'll have to keep an eye on this little explorer," he said, winking at Josef.

"No, no adventures," Mum said as she walked off the ship, taking the hand of the same crew member who had helped me down. "It is not safe."

"Ah, but that's the fun of it, ma'am," John Smith said, nodding his head to her in a polite manner, "not knowing what's around the corner in store for you."

"Maybe for you, Captain, but not for my children." She took Josef's hand and led him towards the center of what was slowly starting to look like a small town, the Virginia Company. Will and Alice followed closely behind her, each tugging along their own luggage, Will also carrying Josef's.

"I am sorry," I told him, hefting up my suitcases. "Mum doesn't much appreciate change. She's going through hard times, and she just wants to keep the family close and safe."

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said, taking my bags from me, starting to follow the way my family had gone. "So how 'bout you…Taylor, is it? Are you searching for an adventure?"

"Yes sir, I am Taylor. And I would not mind going on an adventure, but my mother would not approve." I walked along next to him, trying to take my bags back, but he shrugged me away.

"I'm not saying to disobey your mother," he said in a playful tone, "but this is a new life for you, as well as everyone else. I'd suggest making the most of it." He set my suitcases down next to my family's belongings, before turning to look at me, offering me his hand. I shook it as he cast me one last smile before he turned back down the path to his ship, calling over his shoulder, "See you around, Phillips family!"

"He is a fine man, is he not?" Alice asked in an admiring tone from behind me.

Laughing, I threw my arm around her as we watched Mum and Will join a small group of the heads of families to be assigned living quarters by Governor Ratcliffe, a strange, sour-looking man. "He _is_ quite good-looking," I agreed, "but blondes are not my preferred type of man."

"You are _so_ picky," she scoffed. "I pity the man you marry!"

"I am not picky," I argued. "I just know what I like."

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**A/N: Hello everyone! First, let me say thank you for giving this story a try! I'm new to writing Pocahontas fics, but I absolutely love the movie and other fics that I've read set in that world that I couldn't help but become obsessed with this world. So please have some patience with me as things get started in this, because not even I know exactly where this is going as of right now.**

**Please R&R! Whether good or bad, I love to hear your opinions, and I absolutely love constructive criticism, too! I'm not perfect, and anything that anyone has to point out will only help me improve as a writer!**

**Once again, thank you! I hope that you enjoyed it, and I hope to hear from you all!**

**Witchy Nike**

**PS. Yes, I know, the title of this fic is just a wee bit corny and cliché, but it was the first thing I thought of, and since then it's fit. If I can come up with a better one, then I might change it. But til then, sorry! It's gonna stay a cliché title! :)**


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